Thill-support.



No.- 7l5.438. Patented Dec. 9, [902.

' D. W. THOMA.

V THlLL SUPPORT.

{Application filed Sept. 19, 1902.)

(No Model.)

Numb STATES ATENT OFFICE.

DIEDRICK W. THOMA, OF ELMHURST, ILLINOIS.

THlLL-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 71 5,438, dated.December 9, 1902. Application filed September 19, 1902. Serial No.124,030. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DIEDRICK W. THOMA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elmburst, in the county of Dupage and State of Illinois,have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Thin-Supports, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

hen a buggyor other vehicle is outof use, it is often desirable, as iswell known, that its thills be supported in a raised position. It isalso desirable that the support employed be capable of ready adjustment,so that it may be adapted for use inconnection with vehicles ofdifferent styles and sizes, and while adjustable supporting means forthis purpose have bcen'devised they have involved, as a general thing,as essential to the adjustability the use of screw-threaded portions ora removable pin adapted to be inserted in one of a series of holes.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple, and efiectivethill-support that can be easily and quickly adjusted as desired withoutthe use of any screw-threaded portions or removable pin s, and Iaccomplish this object by the means shown in the drawings andhereinafter fully described.

That which I believe to be new is set forth in the claims. I

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of thefront portion of a vehicle to which my improved thill-support isapplied, and Fig. 2 is aside elevation,partly in section, of my improvedsupport, a portion of the longer bar of the device being broken away.

Referring to the said figures of the drawlugs, A indicates a bar,preferably of wood and of a length to extend when in use from the frontaxle of a buggy upward in front of the cross-bar of the shafts when saidshafts are raised, as in Fig. 1. Through this bar from front to rearextends a slot at, near the forward lower edge of which is a plate 5,secured to the front face of the bar A, and near the rear upper edge ofwhich is another plate 0, secured to the rear face of the bar A, theuses of these plates being hereinafter explained.

B indicates a metal hook having a straight shank portion dand a turnedor hook end portion e. This shank portion d is adapted to be passedthrough the slot a, which slot, as shown, is slightly longer than thewidth of the shank.

findicates a bolt passing through the shank d near its outer end, whichacts as a stop to prevent the withdrawal of the shank wholly from theslot at.

9 indicates a series of teeth in the lower edge of the shank portion dand adapted to engage the upper edge of the plate I), the teeth being soformed as to hold the part A against forward movement, but sloped so asto permit such part A to be pushed backward, if desired, without raisingsuch toothed edge out of contact with the plate I).

In use, with the parts A and B loosely se cured together, as shown anddescribed, the turned or hook portion a of the part B is to be placedover the spring-bar or other fixed portion at the front end of thevehicle, and the shafts having previously been raised the upper end ofthe bar A will be brought in front of the cross-bar of the shafts. Theweight of the shafts bearin g against the bar A causes the bar to hearat its lower end against the axle. A firm support is thus given to theshafts in their raised position. If it is desired to raise the shaftsstill higher, the bar A can be pushed back with the lower toothed edgeof shank d at all times in contact with the plate 17, and when therequired adjustment is bad the engagement of one of the teeth with suchplate retains the parts as desired. If it is desired to lower the thillssomewhat, the toothed edge of the shank is to be disengaged from theplate I) to permit such movement, and when the thills are lowered to thedesired degree the toothed edge of the shank is to be permitted to againengage such plate, whereupon the parts will be again firmly locked inplace.

When the device is in use, the part B is at such an angle to the part Athat the upper edge of the shank d is broughtinto position to bearagainst the upper rear edge of the slot at, and the plate a is thereforeprovided for the shank to come in contact with to prevent the slot beingenlarged by the frequent bearing of the shank at that point.

By my invention I provide a shill-support that can he cheaplymanufactured and that can be very easily and quickly adjusted to adaptit for properly holding in a raised position thills of differentvehicles or holding at varying angles the thills of one vehicle.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a shaft-support, the combination of a bar adapted to bear near oneend against the cross-bar of a pair of thills when said thills areraised and near its other end against a fixed portion of the vehicle towhich the thills are secured, a second bar having a hook portion and arigid shank portion,said shank portion being provided with aseries ofteeth, means for movably connecting said two bars together, and means onsaid first-named bar adapted to be engaged by said series of teeth,substantially as described.

2. In a shaft-support, the combination of a slotted bar adapted to bearnear one end against the cross-bar of a pair of thills when said thillsare raised, and near its other end against a fixed portion of thevehicle to which the thills are secured, a second bar passing throughthe slot in said first-named bar and adjustable therein and provided onits lower edge with teeth and at one end with a hook portion adapted toengage the front end of the vehicle, and means at the lower end of theslot in said first-named bar for said teeth to engage, substantially asspecified.

3. In a shaft-support, the combination of a slotted bar adapted to bearnear one end against the cross-bar of a pair of thills when said thillsare raised, and near its other end against a fixed portion of thevehicle to which the thills are secured, a second bar passing throughthe slot in said first-named bar and adjustable therein and provided onits lower edge with teeth and at one end with a hook portion adapted toengage the front end of the vehicle, and a plate secured to the face ofthe said first-named bar near the lower end of the slot therein andadapted to be engaged by said teeth, substantially as specified.

DIEDRIOK W. THOMA.

